Adams battles with slump

By Jay Jenkins

Published: May 19, 2008

Jacob Thompson, an All-American, just shook his head in disgust and disbelief.
As was the case for every pitcher on Virginia’s pitching staff, retiring David Adams was nearly impossible during the fall.
For Adams, the lynchpin of the Cavaliers’ batting order, that seems like an eternity ago.
As the draft-eligible junior enters the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, his batting average stands at a pedestrian .279.
Hard shots seem to find gloves. Would-be extra-base hits for Adams have hung in the air long enough for him to be erased.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against third-seeded North Carolina, Adams is mired in a career-worst 0-for-19 slump — and he knows it.
“Absolutely, it’s noticeable. It’s frustrating when you go from .380 to .280,” Adams said. “It is embarrassing, but it is just baseball and you have to grind it out. It’s one of those things, you are going to run into a lot of downs, but if you keep working hard you will have ups.”
It is not the first slump in Adams career, but by far it is the longest.
“The past two years I had a one-month stretch where I have fallen off, but I have always picked myself back up,” Adams said. “I have never had anything like this before. It has been three months of down, down, down.
“All the guys are helping me out, the coaches are helping me out but nothing is working.”
On Saturday before the last regular season game, Virginia associate head coach Kevin McMullan told Adams to simply his approach. Perhaps the ball would look bigger. Perhaps his hands would stay in a better spot.
The results? Adams went hitless in five at-bats, but crushed a pair of offerings from Georgia Tech pitchers.
“I was glad to see him hit the ball on the screws,” McMullan said. “That’s baseball and I think David has enough maturity about him to handle it. He understands that, but like anything, our society is so result-conscious and players that are 21 wear it a little bit.
“My first thing is to ask, ‘How do you feel?’ I want the hitter to tell me how he is feeling and as a coach you have to adjust to that.”
While struggling through the lengthy rut, Adams has had the added pressure of fielding calls from Major League Baseball teams
sizing up his contract
demands to sign after the upcoming draft on June 5 and 6.
The in-season discussions are unique to baseball in college athletics, but Adams has been through the process before.
As a senior in high school in Florida, Adams was projected as a borderline first-round pick, but had a definite price tag that organizations avoided. To handle it, Adams leaned on his family for support and guidance.
“I think we were all overwhelmed,” Adams said. “We had no idea what was going on. It’s an overwhelming experience — just ask a couple of guys on this team now that are going through it.
“You have all these guys calling you and wanting to talk to you, and not only that, but you have the pressure of performing for them. I just need to go out and have some fun.”
Virginia’s coaching staff monitors the times that the third-year players are available to talk to teams, and coach Brian O’Connor said Adams has handled the process better than most.
“It is part of the process and you have to be mature enough to handle it,” the skipper said. “I don’t think that has been a factor at all for David. It’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t think he is putting pressure on himself because of the draft.
“I just think he just
hasn’t had a few hits drop. Maybe that first one will come in Wednesday’s game and that could give him the confidence that he needs.”
That is the type of production that Virginia will need to make a run in the ACC Tournament as it sits in a loaded pool with UNC, Florida State and Wake Forest.
“He has confidence in himself and I have confidence in him that he will get it going in the right direction,” O’Connor said. “If he stays positive and continues to work like I know he will work, maybe he will have that monster tournament that we need him to have.
“David is a winner and he has done great things for us and he will do great things in the tournament. He is our leader and, hopefully, he will play his best baseball at the most important time.”
Those around the program are all but certain that it will be the final ACC Tournament for Adams and Thompson, and possibly first baseman Jeremy Farrell and shortstop Greg Miclat.
If that is the case, Adams is hopeful that the group finishes in a positive light and helps the program secure a fifth-straight bid to the NCAA tournament.
“Either way, my heart has always been in baseball and if I get the opportunity, I am going to take it with open arms,” Adams said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I am just looking forward to a good ACC Tournament and hopefully getting a good regional and finishing on a good note.”
Extra bases …
… Virginia’s rotation for the ACC Tournament appears set in stone. Junior RHP Andrew Carraway is slated to start the opener against the Tar Heels and will be followed by junior RHP Jacob Thompson (vs. FSU) and senior Pat McAnaney (vs. Wake Forest). … North Carolina is expected to counter with its ace, Alex White, on Wednesday.